1. Clos19 campaign explores the emotional value of friendship

Bring Them In by Clos19

Global – Created in collaboration with film director Mike Mills, the new advert by luxury drinks group Moët Hennessy explores the nuances of friendship. The ad, Bring Them In, coincides with the US launch of the company’s champagnes, wines and spirits platform Clos19.

The ad’s non-linear narrative homes in on a sumptuous dinner party, highlighting the guests and the emotional subtleties in their relationships with one another.

‘We decided to take an intimate approach with the film, highlighting the universal, indiscriminate nature of friendships, and the magical feeling we experience with the people we love,’ explained executive creative director Alexander Nowak in a statement. The campaign is in line with the notion of Transcendent Wealth, which tracks the increasing importance of emotional experiences for luxury consumers.

2. WeWork branches out into education with WeGrow

WeGrow by WeWork, New York. Photography by Bjarke Ingels

WeGrow by WeWork, New York. Photography by Bjarke Ingels

WeGrow by WeWork, New York. Photography by Bjarke Ingels

WeGrow by WeWork, New York. Photography by Bjarke Ingels

New York – The co-working space is moving into the realms of education with the founding of a private elementary school catering for 3–18-year-olds. The school, which is due to open in one of WeWork’s New York office spaces in late 2018, will focus on practices such as mindfulness, yoga and farm-to-table cooking, which fall outside the traditional school curriculum.

The initiative expands on a pilot project now being run near the company’s Manhattan headquarters, which offers seven students aged five to eight the opportunity to learn about business, maths and science in an engaging way by running a weekly farm stand.

In the Brand Educators section of our macrotrend The Learning Economy, we noted how brands, disillusioned with current education systems, are moving into this area to ensure the quality of their future workforce.

3. Function of Beauty exposes inner workings to the public

New York – Haircare brand Function of Beauty is opening up its research and development headquarters in Manhattan, allowing customers to book in and see their personalised product created in front of them. The brand, which until now has only offered its haircare questionnaire online, will now let visitors answer in-store before leaving with a bespoke shampoo and conditioner.

‘From an experiential standpoint [the headquarters] is a lot cooler because it’s very easy to visualise the performance blends, the bottle and how everything is funnelled into it,’ Zahir Dossa, co-founder and CEO of Function of Beauty, told Women’s Wear Daily.

In the near future brands will need to enrich the in-store customer experience beyond simply selling products.

Function of Beauty, New York

4. Using design to inspire change beyond the museum walls

Change the System at Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam

Change the System at Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam

Change the System at Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam

Change the System at Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam

Rotterdam – A new exhibition at the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Change the System, brings together projects by more than 50 philanthropic designers working to transform the world through new design systems. In addition to the pre-made pieces, designers will also develop their research and create new works on-site, allowing them to interact directly with visitors.

In an acknowledgement that design in isolation cannot make the kinds of changes to global systems that the designers are working towards, the museum has also launched its Change Challenge, which encourages the public to engage with the topic through social media. Challenges will be set through the museum’s Facebook, Instagram and Twitter channels by the designers Dave Hakkens, Elisa van Joolen, Manon van Hoeckel and Arne Hendriks.

Social consciousness is being rebranded, evolving beyond fearmongering towards inspiring positive change. See our New Consciousness design direction for more.

5. A boom in humanoid robots is expected within five years

New research shows that the global humanoid robot market is set to expand drastically over the next five years, fuelled by growth in the Asia-Pacific region, where an ageing population is increasingly adopting humanoids as carers and personal assistants. Consumers are increasingly looking to robotics to provide practical and emotional help in the home. See our Neo-kinship macrotrend to read more.

6. Thought-starter: Why should brands consider hormonal fluctuations?

When it comes to pharmaceuticals, why have females been under-represented for far too long? Junior journalist Rhiannon McGregor examines the gender bias in the industry.

The gender bias in pharmaceuticals originates in the laboratory, with male mice predominantly used for drug testing because of a misconception that females’ hormone cycles will offer unreliable results. In fact, female mice have been shown to demonstrate no more variation through their hormonal cycle than males.

But does it matter? The answer is yes, because females – both human and animal – metabolise drugs differently from males owing to variations in body composition.

This unwillingness to accept the fundamental hormonal differences between men and women permeates beyond the healthcare sector, affecting many aspects of life. In the beauty and lifestyle sectors, however, we are beginning to see an acknowledgement of these variations, encouraging women to become more attuned to the hormonal balance in their bodies in a way that nurtures inclusivity and avoids stereotypical gender bias.